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Abstract We begin here a series of papers examining the chromospheric and coronal properties of solar active regions. This first paper describes an extensive data set of images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on the Solar Dynamics Observatory curated for large-sample analysis of this topic. Based on (and constructed to coordinate with) the “Active Region Patches” as identified by the pipeline data analysis system for the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on the same mission (the “HARPs”), the “AIA Active Region Patches” (AARPs), described herein, comprise an unbiased multiwavelength set of FITS files downsampled spatially only by way of HARP-centered patch extractions (full spatial sampling is retained), and downsampled in the temporal domain but still able to describe both short-lived kinematics and longer-term trends. The AARPs database enables physics-informed parameterization and analysis using nonparametric discriminant analysis in Paper II of this series, and is validated for analysis using differential emission measure techniques. The AARP data set presently covers mid-2010 through 2018 December, is ≈9 TB in size, and is available through the Solar Data Analysis Center. 

Abstract A large sample of active-region-targeted time-series images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), the AIA Active Region Patch database (Paper I) is used to investigate whether parameters describing the coronal, transition region, and chromospheric emission can differentiate a region that will imminently produce a solar flare from one that will not. Parameterizations based on moment analysis of direct and running-difference images provide for physically interpretable results from nonparametric discriminant analysis. Across four event definitions including both 24 hr and 6 hr validity periods, 160 image-based parameters capture the general state of the atmosphere, rapid brightness changes, and longer-term intensity evolution. We find top Brier Skill Scores in the 0.07–0.33 range, True Skill Statistics in the 0.68–0.82 range (both depending on event definition), and Receiver Operating Characteristic Skill Scores above 0.8. Total emission can perform notably, as can steeply increasing or decreasing brightness, although mean brightness measures do not, demonstrating the well-known active-region size/flare productivity relation. Once a region is flare productive, the active-region coronal plasma appears to stay hot. The 94 Å filter data provide the most parameters with discriminating power, with indications that it benefits from sampling multiple physical regimes. In particular, classification success using higher-order moments of running-difference images indicate a propensity for flare-imminent regions to display short-lived small-scale brightening events. Parameters describing the evolution of the corona can provide flare-imminent indicators, but at no preference over “static” parameters. Finally, all parameters and NPDA-derived probabilities are available to the community for additional research.